


Tweety Bird

by TakeThat



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Comfort, Daddy!Steve, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Little!Tony, Non-Sexual Age Play, Open Relationship, Other, Tweety bird is tony's nickname for little clint, little!Clint, nsap, semi open relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-10
Updated: 2017-07-01
Packaged: 2018-11-12 14:35:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11163906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TakeThat/pseuds/TakeThat
Summary: "Steve, I don't know if I can do this-""It'll be fine, I promise. Let me take care of you."Clint hesitated, looking down at his feet. Tears pricked at his eyes."I'm scared. I'm always scared.""I can help with that, too."Clint hasn't been dealing with life very well since the battle in New York. Steve comes to him, offering a way to help. A better way to cope.***OR: Steve offers Clint a chance to feel small and safe for a change. He wants to show Clint the benefits of ageplay.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My very first Avengers/Marvel fic. I've been reading plenty of cute non-sexual ageplay fics within the Avengers fandom, so I thought I'd give it a shot. Hope you all enjoy!

Clint was startled out of his daze by the feeling of someone sitting next to him at the kitchen table. He hadn’t realize that he was already slipping into sleep, but it was hard not to be so tired when you were going on nearly three missions a week. His body still ached from the last couple of missions they’ve had; Fury was working them to the bone, going after every little non-issue that could easily be handled by the local police forces.

He yawned, dropping his head down into his arms as the rest of his teammates gathered around the table- it was Friday. Friday was usually their honorary family dinner and game night. No one knew when it had officially started, but it was quite surprising to find everyone strictly following the routine, given how much every person on the team enjoyed slinking off by themselves when they aren’t feeling up to par. Still, it was usually quite a comforting thing to rely on. He heard some voices from the kitchen, hearing something about what to make everyone for dinner, and Clint determined that they were Tony and Steve’s voices- probably getting the food ready.

Clint glanced up when he heard plates being set on the table- a buffet of burger toppings lay before him, ready for the team to build their sandwiches. Steve smiled at him apologetically when Tony bumped and scooted around him, setting a plate of patties down.

“Sorry- Tony’s pretty unaware of how much space he takes up.” Steve chuckled, ignoring Tony’s glare.

“Says Mr. Bubble Butt over here!” Tony retorted, smacking Steve’s ass as he walked by. “You take up, like, 20 feet of space just when you’re bending over!”

Steve’s face went red as Bruce couldn’t help but snort out loud, everyone else showing an expression of either amusement or loving-annoyance.

“Thanks, but that’s more than I needed to know about Steve’s ass.” Natasha said, smiling behind her soda.

“That’s only because he loves me so much, he’s gotta show me off!” Steve said as he pulled Tony in close and began smooching all over his face, making Tony’s face turn scarlet as he struggled in his arms.

“Steve!! Steve, lemme go!” Tony demanded, dropping back to the floor as his boyfriend let him go. He scurried back to the kitchen like an injured puppy.

The team broke into chuckles and snickers at their play. It was pretty well-known how much of a brat Tony could be, but Steve easily found a way to set Tony straight if he acted up to much. As funny as it was, Clint understood Tony’s embarrassment- when you grow up touch-starved, any sort of affection really throws you for a loop.

“Never fails.” Steve laughed, winking at Clint playfully. He cracked a smile and Steve let everyone know it was time to dig in.

Each plate was filled quickly, almost like none of them had eaten for months. Clint quickly snatched up his own burger, just throwing on a slice of cheese and some ketchup. He wasn’t complicated when it came to food- he took what he could get, and that was it.

Clint stayed quiet, letting the soft rumble of chatter wash over him as he ate. He sipped at his Dr. Pepper (courtesy of Natasha, one of the few who knew his favorite drink) and glanced up at the group. His eyes swept the table, noting how Thor boomed with laughter at one of Natasha’s jokes, how Pepper was serving up a couple more burgers for the team, Tony and Bruce were babbling on about the details of a new project they were working on, and Steve listened in, constantly interested in the advancements in technology.

He was slowly brought back to the present when Pepper started speaking up, bringing out a bowl.

“Alright everyone, put your game idea in the hat for tonight! And make it something comprehensible- we need to make sure _everyone_ is capable of playing.”

“I’ll have you know that _Defeat the Laceoth_ is a time-honored tradition of the Odin family!” Thor bellowed as the bowl was passed down the table. Clint passed it on without contributing.

“You don’t have a game you want to play, Barton?” Tony asked, snatching it and placing his own game in.

“I’m really not up for playing tonight, so I didn’t want to contribute.” Clint shrugged, polishing off his plate.

“You said that last week. And the week before that.” Natasha stated, a blank expression on her face aside from the raised eyebrow.

“I know.” Clint bit his lip. “But I’m just too tired tonight. Next week, I promise.

Natasha managed a short once-over before giving a curt nod, turning back to her burger. The team continued to chatter as Clint eventually got up from the table and threw away his trash to head up to his floor. Clint could feel eyes on his back as he left the room.

The ride up the elevator to his floor was cold, quiet. In the recesses of his mind, he felt it was refreshing, in an odd sort of way.

He reached his floor with a ding, and a short announcement from Jarvis. He mumbled a thanks and dragged himself to his room. Clint shuffled to the wardrobe, shedding off his filthy clothes from the day. He slipped on some sweatpants and a soft cotton t-shirt, then moved to hoist himself up into the open vent above his bed. As always, just feet from the vent opening was a large nest that Clint had built up with pillows and blankets.

A deep breath he didn’t realize he was holding in escaped him at the sight of it. The avengers’ voices carried through the air ducts until it reached him in muffled chatter. He laid down in the nest, hoping to sleep- he thought he was fibbing a bit when he excused himself from dinner, but the exhaustion swept over him quickly, making him fall asleep to the soothing sound of his teammates.

 

Clint was startled awake later on by a muffled voice around him.

“-has entered the premises.” He caught the tail-end of Jarvis’s announcement, hearing someone open the door to his bedroom.

Still half-asleep, he put his ear to the hole in the vent, listening for whoever it might be.

“Clint? You in here?”

He relaxed, recognizing the voice as Steve’s. He crawled to the entrance of the vent, peeking out to see Steve walking around his bedroom, a stoic look on his face.

“Uh, yeah, I’m here.” Clint whispered hoarsely, but apparently loud enough for Steve to hear. Steve turned to look up at him.

“Sorry, were you, uh, sleeping up there?”

“Yeah. I fell asleep. By accident, I think.” He hopped down, pointedly avoiding Steve’s gaze as he crossed his arms. “Did you need something?”

“I actually wanted to talk about something. Mind if I sit?” Steve motioned to the bed. Clint shrugged, staying standing himself as the blond sat at the end. “How are you?”

Clint furrowed his brows questioningly.

“I’m good… how are you?”

“I’m not trying to make light conversation.” Steve chuckled, though it sounded slightly empty- and somewhat tired, Clint noted. “I meant how are you, for real? How are you coping after the attack on New York, Loki, all of that?”

“I’m about as fine as everyone else.”

“Are you sure?” Steve still looked at him. “Like Natasha said, you’ve skipped out of game night for the past few weeks. And you seem to be avoiding being around us most of the time. Not that I’m offended, I know how much we all can be.” He chuckled.

“I’m fine.” He said quickly, shifting from foot to foot.

“It’s just my responsibility to make sure-“

“I’m fine!” Clint snapped, spooking himself at the unexpected sudden high-strung emotions he was feeling. Steve raised an eyebrow at him, and he suddenly felt his chest get cold, like ice crumbling to drop piece by piece into his stomach.

Suddenly, he felt strong hands gripping his shoulders. Clint glanced to look up at Steve. He felt the hands squeeze a bit.

“Look. I’m the team captain, and it is my responsibility to make sure you all are good enough to proceed on future missions. But as your friend, it’s my job to make sure you’re alright because you deserve to be healthy.” Steve offered a small smile. “But that requires you to actually talk to one of us if something is wrong. So if you ever need something… Just know I’ll be there for you.”

Clint managed a small nod, watching as Steve squeezed his shoulder and left the room with a soft “goodnight”.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve finds Clint having a panic attack, and decides it's time to intervene.

It’s been three days since Clint has left his floor. Three days since his last talk with Steve.

He was semi-grateful for the routine the team had- no one bothered if someone stowed away in their floor for a while, as long as Jarvis could confirm they were still alive and hadn’t disappeared off somewhere.

Despite how lonely it could be, it really was the best option for him. He couldn’t show his vulnerability. He needed the alone time to get himself together to take on the world when it was needed.

This wasn’t uncommon for most of the team to take some alone time off, but Clint was usually the type to cling to someone instead when he felt off. Which is why he found it incredibly weird to be so isolated, stuck to the couch for the past 72 hours with junk food packages littering the coffee table.

“Agent Barton- Captain Rogers would like to know if you’re joining the team for dinner tonight.” Jarvis’s voice rang through the room. Clint groaned, rubbing his eyes.

“No thanks, Jarvis.” Clint replied, looking back at the television. He didn’t know when it turned to a documentary about nature.

“Agent, he is insisting you join them for dinner.”

“I said no, Jarvis.” Clint said, turning back to the tv. The screen seemed to go blurry and his head fuzzy, making him drift in and out of consciousness.

Clint woke up hours later. His head pounded, and he suddenly felt a wave of nausea come over him. He silently cursed himself for eating nothing but crap lately, and made his way towards the bathroom. Clint nearly reached the cupboard for some instant soup before he had to sit down on a barstool. His fingers curled in his hair, feeling his heart start thudding in his chest.

“Fuck…” He breathed, trying to steady him. His heart beat fast, feeling like it was about to pound out of his chest. Clint sank further into his chair, burying his face in his arms. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t breathe.

“Clint?!” He heard a panicked voice coming from somewhere, before being scooped up. Tight arms wound around him as he curled up, practically being carried bridal-style. “Shh, it’s okay. You’re alright.”

“I- I….” Clint shivered, curling into the body holding him. His thoughts raced and mixed, and his breathing only picked up. He could feel the body shifting to sit down.

“Shhh, Clint- it’s okay.” The voice started registering slightly in his mind, deep and soothing. “I’ve got you. You’re safe here.”

Clint could feel his shivering starting to subside slightly. He detected a soft rubbing on his back, soothing his frayed nerves. He glanced up, blearily making out Steve’s face.

“St-Steve…” He breathed out, wrapping his fingers in Steve’s t-shirt. “I can’t… I don’t know what’s happening to me.” He stuttered, his body shaking harshly again.

“You’re having a panic attack.” Steve said simply, still running his fingers through Clint’s hair.

“I c-can’t control myself-“

“I know. Just breathe. I’ve got you.” Steve whispered, rocking them slightly.

Clint continued to shiver and shake, choking on his own breath and clutching at whatever his hands could reach. Steve continued to whisper soothing things to him, rubbing his back.

He didn’t realize he had started crying until Steve used a couple of spare tissues to wipe at his cheeks, soaking up the fat tears. It wasn’t until his breathing starting settling and he no longer felt he was dying that Steve sat him up a bit.

“I hate this.” Clint stuttered, sobbing a bit. “I- I can’t control myself. This keeps happening and it hurts and I get scared-“

“Wait.” Steve gently stopped him. “This keeps happening? How long has this been going on?”

Clint paused, shifting his gaze away shamefully.

“Uh… I’d say six months…”

“You’ve been struggling with anxiety attacks since New York and you never told anyone?”

Clint shook his head, curling and uncurling his fingers in Steve’s shirt.

“I… I never knew how.”

“Clint…” Steve shook his head. “Clint, you can’t do this to yourself. You’ve suffered for months and you haven’t told anyone? That’s not okay.”

“I know.” Clint choked, leaning his head on Steve’s chest. He couldn’t hold himself together anymore- not in the warmth of Steve’s embrace. He was just so tired.

“Look, Clint.” The captain sighed, giving Clint a comforting squeeze. “We need to talk about this. Seriously. You can’t go on like this.” Clint grunted in response. “But, we’ll talk tomorrow. Okay? You should go to bed.”

Clint suddenly sat up, looking at Steve with wide eyes.

“I- No.” He shook his head fervently. “No, I’ll… I’ll go to bed in a bit, alright? Just don’t leave yet.”

Steve raised an eyebrow at him. He pulled Clint close again.

“You know… There is a guest bedroom on mine and Tony’s floor. You need to sleep, but you won’t be alone on a floor. Will you at least try that?”

Clint nodded, sitting up a bit. Steve shifted him off his lap, standing up.

“Come on. We’ll head upstairs.”

Clint stood up with him and followed him to the elevator, resisting the strange urge to attach himself to Steve all over again.

The ride up to the super-couple’s floor was silent but warm. When they reached the floor, Steve led him to the guest room.

“Where’s Tony?” Clint mumbled, already climbing into the bed.

“He’s asleep, actually. We were going to spend tomorrow together.”

The archer furrowed his brows together in concern, feeling guilt pool in his stomach. Steve stopped himself before he could speak.

“Clint, stop. It’ll be fine. Tony will understand, okay? You just worry about sleeping.”

“Alright.” Clint said softly, pulling the covers over himself. Steve just nodded at him with a small smile, turning off the light and closing the door behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clint is introduced to the concept of ageplay.

When Clint woke up the next morning, he nearly panicked at the unfamiliar surroundings. It took him a moment to relax, recalling what had happened the night before. He covered his face with a pillow and groaned. Last night had been a total embarrassment- nothing but a moment of weakness during a breakdown. It wasn’t like Clint to have an emotional meltdown and let himself be so completely vulnerable like that- it went against everything he knew growing up, and everything he learned as a SHIELD agent. It wasn’t right, and he had to keep something like that from happening again.

Maybe he could sneak back down to his floor before Steve or Tony woke up and avoid the conversation altogether.

Clint rolled out of bed, not bothering to fix the sheets as he approached his door. He opened it, glancing down the hallway. The door to Tony and Steve’s bedroom was closed, giving him enough of an opportunity to slip out unnoticed. He tip-toed down the hallway, past the bedroom door, and towards the foyer.

The front door to the apartment was a few feet away. He scooted over quickly, hand reaching for the doorknob-

“Clint! Where do you think you’re going?”

He yelped, jumping three feet in the air as he spun around. Steve stood in the middle of the living room, arms crossed in front of him and an eyebrow raised. Tony sat at the kitchen table with a coffee in his hand, an amused look on his face that just screamed ‘ _busted_ ’.

“I was heading back to my floor.” Clint said confidently, straightening himself out. “Why, do you need something?”

“Actually, yes. I want to talk.” Steve gave a curt nod, motioning to the couch. “Please, sit.”

A cold lump formed in his stomach at the tone Steve used. Clearly, this was going to be a very serious talk and he never could handle those kinds of things well.

Clint glanced between the couch and Tony repeatedly. He was surprised when Tony gave a slightly encouraging smile, but moved to the couch nonetheless. He waited for Steve to sit, and pointedly moved to sit a good distance away.

“Well, what’s up?”

“We need to talk about last night.” Steve said bluntly, making sure to catch his eye. “You said yourself that you experience those attacks often. That really isn’t healthy. Have you tried _anything_ to help you deal with what happened in New York?”

Clint was silent. Both pairs of eyes bore into him, but he refused to meet either gaze. The truth was, he hadn’t- nothing aside from burrowing into his little nests throughout the vents.

“No… not really.” Clint mumbled. “I just go into the vents when things get rough. That’s it.”

“Yeah, you have your nests up there.” The blond smiled, settling back into the armrest. “Why do you like them so much?”

“I dunno. I guess they’re good for making me feel small and safe. I feel a little better when I’m in there.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Steve turn. Steve and Tony shared a look that Clint couldn’t decipher, and his heart beat a little faster.

“What? Is something wrong?” Clint hurried to ask.

Steve snapped his eyes back, quickly trying to calm him down.

“Oh, no! Nothing is wrong. I just thought…” The was a pregnant pause as Steve seemingly gathered himself. “Well. I talked to Tony a bit, and I want to make a suggestion to you. You don’t have to take it, but I want you to consider it seriously.”

Clint looked at him, thoughts racing through his head. Were they going to kick him out of the tower? Suggest he starts seeing some guy in a sterilized white room who wouldn’t understand what he really needed?

Steve breathed out heavily, looking nervous.

“So, Clint… have you heard about ageplay?”

There was a long silence in the room. Tony was frozen at the table, staring intently at Clint with an unreadable expression. Steve was trying to remain calm, but Clint’s sophisticated training would have led him to see the nervousness lying beneath. But Clint himself was too busy being stunned.

“I don’t know…”

Suddenly, Tony spoke up.

“It’s when someone acts like a different age than usual. Like those people who act like kids and color and some of them even wear diapers and stuff.” He said bluntly.

Clint sputtered.

“That?! Yeah, I’ve heard of it. But what does it have to do with me?!”

“Well, some people like to use it to relax.” Steve explained calmly, scooting towards Clint slightly. “They can sometimes get into the headspace of a kid and just play and forget about the adult world. It can be very soothing-“

“No way. No fucking way.”

“Clint, just listen-“

“Fuck off! I’m not a baby, and I’m certainly not a freak!”

Clint breathed angrily. In a blink, Tony was up from the table, angrily approaching Clint.

“LISTEN- it doesn’t make ANYONE a freak to do it! Just because you don’t get it or you’re not into it or whatever doesn’t give you a right to be an asshole about it! If you don’t want to try it, that’s fine, but you DAMN well-“ Tony yelped as he was pulled out of his rant by Steve yanking him onto his lap.

“ _Tony_ , honey, relax.” Steve interrupted with a murmur, stroking Tony’s hair. He turned them away from Clint for a moment, blocking his view of their interaction. “It’s alright. You’re not a freak at all, okay? I love you the way you are. You’re not a freak, Tony. Not at all.”

Clint breathed as he calmed down just a tad, listening to the semi-private conversation his friends were having. He heard a choked breath from Tony and some whispered words. The archer’s mind reeled as he thought what brought on Tony’s outburst. Steve’s suggestion had sounded so, so… _absurd_. Nothing but a person with some freaky liking for diapers and bottles would want to do such a thing. And how had Steve known so much about it?

_You’re not a freak, Tony._

Oh. _Oh._

Clint swallowed, staring at the pair with wide eyes. They were…

“Uh, you two…?”

Steve looked at him.

“Yeah, we are. And Tony is…” He shrugged, holding Tony close to his chest. The brunet was curled up against Steve’s chest, a few tears running down his cheeks silently. Clint realized he’s never seen Tony cry before this. “Today was supposed to be our… well, our play day. We do it once a week, every Saturday. I talked to Tony last night after you and I got back, and he said it’d be okay if he spent the day in a bigger mindset instead so we could all have a chat and he gave me permission to tell you about this. I guess his headspace had other plans.”

Clint swallowed thickly and ran a hand through his hair. Too many emotions and thoughts were running through him right now- he could barely decide which mental trail to follow.

“He couldn’t really hold up today, I guess. No surprise there.” Steve continued, smiling a bit sadly as he stroked Tony’s hair again. Tony had moved to hide his face in Steve’s neck, clearly embarrassed to have had Clint see him like this. “We discussed maybe letting you in to see how ageplay works a bit later on if you were okay with it, but you still need to consider it I think… I need to help Tony today. He has a big week coming up.”

Clint nodded a bit, licking his lips.

“And you guys are going to… ageplay today?”

“Yes.” Steve said simply, nudging Tony to stand up. He whispered in Tony’s ear and nudged him towards the bedroom. Tony nodded, taking off in the direction and shutting the door behind him. He turned to Clint with a stern look once they were alone. “If you’re interested at all, you’re welcome to stay and watch. But another outburst like earlier, and you’ll need to leave. Understood?”

“Understood.” Clint responded quickly, feeling chills at the sudden Cap voice Steve took on.

“Good.” The blond smiled at his response, taking on a softer tone. “Clint, I know it’s scary to get help. I know it’s scary to try something new when it comes to mental health. But after how clingy you were last night, how you said the nests help you, and… really, just your personality in general- I think this could benefit you a lot. I’m your friend, you know. I wouldn’t intentionally do something to hurt or humiliate you. Okay?”

He swallowed back a lump in his throat, pressing a palm into his burning eyes. He was tired, so tired, still. “Okay.”

“Have you ever finger-painted?”

Clint lifted his eyes to look at Steve in confusion when he was asked the question. He shook his head.

“Tony and I usually like to start off play by doing something creative. It helps him get those wild inventor thoughts out and fall into the headspace better. You can do it with us. I won’t make you do anything you’re not okay with. Just think of it like hanging out.”

“Hanging out, got it.” Clint repeated. He caught a paint-stained smock Steve tossed his way, and looked at him. He couldn’t help but return the smile Steve was sending his way.

“Just so you know, Tony might be shy at first. But you better be ready to meet the rowdiest kid in the entire universe.” Steve joked.

Clint barked out a laugh at that, tension immediately melting away within him, and he couldn’t help but think that maybe today’s little experiment wouldn’t be so bad after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be some ageplay in the next chapter! Promise! :D


	4. Chapter 4

There seemed to be a brewing argument on the other side of the bedroom door, as far as he could hear. Clint found himself sitting at the kitchen table, wearing the smock Steve had given him. The table was covered in a variety of kid-friendly finger paints, and a long roll of paper for them to design on.

The main bedroom door creaked open and Clint looked over. Steve stepped out first moving towards the living room. Behind him, Tony clutched at his hand, trudging into the room. Clint glanced at them, looking Tony over. He seemed to be wearing soft red sweatpants and a Mickey Mouse t-shirt with “love me” written in curly Disney font. Tony looked up at Clint before bashfully looking away.

“We’re going to start off painting, okay?” Steve said softly, tucking some hair behind Tony’s ear. Tony nodded at him. They both moved over to the table, Tony sitting across from Clint and Steve sitting at the end, in between them. “Alrighty, sweetheart, what do you want to draw today?”

Tony stayed silent as he looked over the paints. He glanced up at Clint shyly, moving to whisper to Steve.

“Space? Sure, we can do space. Why don’t you work on the spaceship, and Clint and I will make planets and stars? How does that sound?”

Tony’s face lit up and he nodded, grabbing a can of black paint. He dunked his fingers into the jar, spreading it around the paper quickly. He used both hands to spread it, creating shapes already to fit the spaceship he was building in his mind.

“Ooo, what’s that?” Steve asked curiously, pointing at a black line at the bottom of the page.

“That’s the landing pad, duh.” Tony grumbled, moving to make the base of the rocket instead.

“Duh.” Steve mimicked, smiling at Clint. Clint smiled back at him before looking down shyly. “Hey Clint, why don’t you start on a planet? Maybe you could make something really cool.”

Clint looked at him with wide eyes. Steve smiled, nudging a can of purple paint towards him.

“Mm… I do like purple.” Clint smiled. He dunked one finger into the paint, making a large circle on the paper. He squiggled inside of it, mixing in some other colors to make the planet colorful and lively.

“That looks good, Clint.” Tony said quietly. He smiled up at Clint a bit, and Clint smiled back at him.

“Thanks… Maybe your astronaut could visit there someday.”

“That’d be really cool.” Tony said excitedly, painting more details onto his rocket. “What kind of stuff is on your planet?”

“Uhh…” Clint bit his lip, thinking. “Lots of purple plants. And there are aliens there, but they can’t see- they get around by smelling everything.”

“Ooo, that sounds cool! I hope everything on that planet smells good.” Tony giggled loudly. “And not smelly like daddy after training!”

Clint went silent, expect for the sputtering he managed. Tony had frozen up, realizing what he had said.

“Hey! Daddy’s only smelly so he can protect you from all the bad guys!” Steve said, tickling Tony’s neck to distract him. Tony squealed, giggling as he snapped his head to the side, trying to shake Steve’s hand off.

“Nohoho, Daddy, stop!” Tony giggled, leaning to the wayside and nearly falling off his chair. Steve stopped and pulled him right-side up.

“Okay, fine, you whiny thing.” Steve laughed, ruffling Tony’s hair. “How about some breakfast, hm?”

“Yes!” Tony looked up at him, eyes sparkling. “Chocolate chip pancakes?”

“Mm, sounds yummy.” Steve kissed the tip of Tony’s nose. “Why don’t you stay here with Clint and keep painting? I’ll be just in the kitchen.”

Tony smiled after Steve before turning back. He blushed at Clint, ducking his face away shyly.

“Um…” Clint started, unrolling the paper a bit. “Why don’t we start on a new picture?”

Tony nodded, moving the fresh paper in front of him. He dunked his hand into a jar, making the paint flood over the sides.

“Careful!” He hissed quickly. “Steve will get mad at the mess!”

“No, he won’t.” Tony said with a raised eyebrow. He splattered the paint onto the paper, drawing out random shapes and squiggles. “Why don’t you try?”

Clint looked at Tony, then at the jar of red paint next to him. He slowly raised his hand before dunking it in the paint like Tony did before. The paint felt gooey and smooth between his fingers. He lifted his hand and dumped some of the paint on the paper. He carefully spread it into different shapes, swirling along the paper.

“It’s _supposed_ to be messy, you know.” Tony huffed. “You’re being too cautious. Think of how a kid would do it. Make a mess!”

Clint took a deep breath. He dunked one hand in the red, the other in the yellow, and slapped both hands down on the paper. The paint splattered a bit, drops landing on both of the boys and on the paper.

“How’s that?” Clint said, sitting back. He stared at his art, which was nothing more than large paint blots and a bunch of handprints and fingerprints. It looked awful, like a little kid made it… He smiled.

“Needs something else.” Tony said. He put his hand in the purple paint, and smacking it down in the middle of Clint’s painting, leaving a large purple handprint.

Clint’s jaw dropped.

“Hey!” He screeched. Clint reached into his own paint jars, smearing red and yellow paint all over Tony’s artwork. He giggled at Tony’s shocked face, smearing more paint. “There! Now yours is better, too!”

Tony laughed, smearing paint on Clint’s cheek.

“There, now your _face_ is better!”

An all-out paint war exploded- paint flew everywhere, hitting their smocks, faces, the table, and the floor. In other words- everything but the actual paintings themselves.

“What are you two doing?”

The pair froze looking towards where the voice came from. Steve stood there, mouth agape.

“Nothing!” Tony shrieked, hiding under the table, giggling nervously.

Clint stood there, still frozen. Steve looked him in the eyes and he suddenly panicked.

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to do this, I’ll clean it up and-“

“Shush, Clint.” Steve quirked a smile, setting his hand on the archer’s shoulder gently. He moved over to the table, bending over to look at Tony. “I asked- what do you think you’re doing?!”

Tony shrieked and giggled, scrambling out from under the table on the opposite side of Steve.

“I’m sorry, Daddy!” He shrieked again as Steve caught up to him quickly and scooped him up, lifting him to his face to blow raspberries into his stomach. He giggled loudly, pushing at Steve’s head until he was finally let go.

Tony dropped to the floor, laughing as Steve chased him into the kitchen. Clint stood awkwardly after the scene in front of him, but he couldn’t ignore the strange feeling of longing growing in his stomach.


	5. Chapter 5

It really turned out, there wasn’t much difference in how Tony and Steve acted with each other in everyday life and during this ageplay thing. Tony still acted like a bit of a brat because he thought it was funny, and Steve still adorned him with affection.

In fact, the only thing that seemed to change was how receptive this smaller side of Tony was to such affection. Instead of shying away or getting embarrassed like he would in front of the team, he leaned into every touch, beamed at every compliment- he just basked in the glow of Steve’s praise.

Which is how Clint found himself sneaking glances over at the pair instead of watching the movie in front of them. Steve insisted on some down time after all the play earlier, and Jarvis had put on a newer Disney movie for them- Wreck It Ralph. It had grabbed Clint’s attention at first, but Steve’s murmuring had become much more interesting.

Clint looked to the other end of the couch again. Tony was still curled up on Steve’s lap. Steve was whispering into his ear and stroking his hair, and Tony had the look of absolute relaxed bliss on his face.

“You’re so sweet and considerate.” Steve whispered. “You did really well today with showing Clint how you play with your toys.”

It was true. After they had cleaned up their mess (which Steve surprisingly wasn’t mad about at all- he just happily helped them clean up and even helped Tony clean himself) and eaten a rather messy breakfast, Tony apparently had his playtime. He busted out a box of toys, showing off almost each and every one to Clint. He had shown him some stuffed animals, some blocks, and a huge box of legos. Inside, Tony had bits and pieces of lego-built machine replicas. They were so complex that Clint was impressed Tony built them when he was smaller.

The two had decided to settle on playing with legos- building was something an adult could easy do, and enjoy doing it. Tony asked Clint what he wanted to build, and Clint eyed up what looked like a treehouse set. They spent the next couple of hours building up the set as Steve sat near them, seemingly engrossed in a novel.

“You know,” Tony had said, fitting together a couple of pieces to make a branch. “Steve got me this lego set. I told him that I always wanted a treehouse when I was a kid. This helps me design it- maybe I could have one someday.”

Clint smiled bittersweetly at that.

“I wanted one, too. I wanted a cool treehouse up really high so I could have a place all to myself and I could feel safe up there.”

“Like your nests?” Tony asked curiously.

Clint grimaced at the question, and they both thankfully turned back to their building project.

They were silent for a bit until they were both happily chattering again about the design of the house, what the inside looked like, who used it- it was easier than the archer thought it would be to get caught up in such a make believe story.

Steve interrupted them when they were about halfway through with the huge project, leading them to a lunch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. It had honestly been quite fun to just sit with Tony and play with legos for a while.

But after lunch, Steve said that Tony needed what he called “calm down time” and that they would need to finished the treehouse another time. Clint found himself actually pouting a little at that.

That was how they found themselves watching Wreck It Ralph with the lights dimmed down (thanks to Jarvis), and Steve soothing Tony semi-quietly. He seemed to be rocking him a bit at this point, as Tony’s eyes starting drooping heavily.

Clint barely registered what sounded like Steve talking. He snapped out of his thoughts, looking up to meet Steve’s gaze.

“What?”

“I said I’m going to put Tony down for a bit.” Steve nodded his head down towards Tony- at some point, the brunet must’ve fallen asleep.

“Oh, um, that’s fine.” Clint flushed slightly, turning back towards the movie. He didn’t look away when he heard Steve leave the room.

Clint didn’t know what he was supposed to do at this point- was he supposed to just get up at walk out now? Steve was most likely going to want to have a talk, and sneaking out seemed like the best idea to avoid that.

Clint quickly got up, making a dash for the door before he was caught by the collar.

“You sure do have a bad habit of trying to sneak out, you know.”

The archer groaned, looking up at Steve with an apologetic expression.

“Look, I know what you’re going to say- I should really think about this, it’ll help me a lot, yadda yadda, but I just really don’t know how I feel about any of this yet and I don’t know if I can really see you as my daddy-“

“Wait.” Steve looked at Clint with a confused expression, letting him go when he knew Clint wouldn’t run off. “When did I say I’d be your daddy?”

Clint raised an eyebrow at the question.

“I… Isn’t that what this was…?”

“Oh, no, Clint- I was just saying that you should look into being a little yourself. You don’t _have_ to have anyone else involved- plenty of people do it alone and I thought you might enjoy using it to relax when you have time to yourself.”

“Oh.” He felt himself deflate a bit, and a harsh blush rise on his cheeks. In his embarrassment, Clint started stepping backwards, hand flailing as it tried to find purchase on the doorknob. “That’s okay then! Yeah, I’ll, um, think about it. Definitely. My bad!”

“Clint…” Steve said softly, stepping forward himself. “If you do want to try it out with me and Tony, or just one of us, until you figure out what you’d like, that’d be perfectly okay. You know that, right?”

Clint froze, staring at him. He didn’t know what side to choose- go for it and risk humiliating himself, or run and keep dealing with things the way he already did, which was hardly anything in itself.

“What if… What if I don’t like it? Or something goes wrong?”

“Then we stop immediately, and no one pushes you further than you’re comfortable with.”

It was a tempting offer. So tempting that he could feel his resolve slipping so easily.

“And you guys aren’t just fucking with me?” He asked skeptically one last time.

“We aren’t. I seriously think this is something that could help.” Steve nodded curtly. He had his “Cap Face” on, as Tony so lovingly called it, which meant he was being completely serious.

“… Okay. Fine.” Clint nodded, hunching his shoulders forward. “I’ll try it out. I want to try it with you guys… I don’t think I’d know what to do, or how to… ‘get into it’ or whatever.”

Steve pulled Clint into a crushing hug, and Clint could feel the smile on his neck.

“That’s fine! We’ll work on that. It might seem difficult at first, but the reward is worth it. We’ll help you learn how to relax into it, don’t worry.”

Clint smiled at bit at that, though he felt kind of crazy for accepting the offer.

“Alright. But seriously, I have to get going. Nat will kill me if I’m late for our sparring session this evening.” He laughed at that and pulled back.

“We’ll talk more about this later, okay?” Steve said. He had a soft smile of his face- unlike one Clint has seen before, honestly.

“Yeah. Okay.” He said, quickly slipping out of the apartment to head down to his own floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will finally show a bit of Clint trying it out for himself, with help from Steve and Tony :D


	6. Chapter 6

“Clint, man, you gotta breathe.”

Clint let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding in at Tony’s request. Tony shot him a pointed look as he sped past, picking up the travel mug of coffee. Clint fiddled with the drawstrings on his hoodie.

“Are you sure you’re okay with this? I mean, he is your boyfriend and all, and I totally understand if you don’t want me to stay here.”

Tony rolled his eyes, facing Clint.

“You know this was my idea, right? I don’t mind that you’re going to spend the weekend alone together. If it helps you, it helps you. Steve helped me, so I’m sure he could help you.”

“I know, but it seems so… I don’t know, intimate?” Clint wrapped his arms around himself protectively, watching Tony getting things together. “If Steve and I did end up going all the way with this, we’d be really close the whole time.”

He was still in disbelief how quickly both Steve and Tony invited him back to try again, but he was more surprised of the circumstances they suggested. Tony was called away to a conference related to his company in Japan, and they had thought Clint might like to spend some time with Steve and settle into the role slowly- to learn what it’s like with someone to guide him.

“Well, that is sort of the whole point.” Tony shrugged. “But I believe that you wouldn’t be here unless you knew you were at least a little interested in how it works.”

Clint was about to respond when Steve walked in, lugging Tony’s luggage behind him.

“Alright you have your suits, underwear, toothbrush and toothpaste.” Steve set the bag down next to Tony. “And I packed Cappy for you, just in case.” He whispered, making Tony blush harshly.

“Uh, Cappy?” Clint questioned, raising an eyebrow. Steve turned to look at him, laughing lightly.

“Cappy is his little Captain America stuffed bear. He’s had it since he was actually little.”

“Shut up! He doesn’t need to know that!” Tony sputtered, crossing his arms defiantly. His face was still red from the admission Steve provided.

“You have a teddy bear, Stark?” Clint teased, relaxing a bit.

“Watch yourself, birdbrain- Steve might drag you off to the nearest toy store and load you up on the toys!” Tony stuck his tongue out at him. Steve laughed, stepping between them.

“Okay, break it up, you two. Tony’s got a plane to catch.”

“Let’s be real, Steve; the plane will wait for me no matter how long I take.” Tony smiled. He smooched Steve on the cheek. “I seriously should get going, though. I hope you guys have a successful week, alright?” He turned to Clint. “And you- listen, Steve isn’t going to judge you, alright? No matter how much you get into it, no matter what you want to try. Just trust him to treat you well.”

Clint’s cheeks flushed- Tony really did have eyes and ears everywhere, since he somehow was able to pin down Clint’s fears perfectly. Instead of verbalizing his response, he gave a short nod.

Tony smiled at him. He gave Steve another kiss and grabbed his bags.

“Behave, you two!” He teased, rushing out the door to catch his plane.

Silence grew between the two remaining men. Clint fiddled with his hoodie strings again, turning when he felt a gentle touch on his arm. Steve was looking at him softly.

“Hey.” He said, giving Clint’s upper arm a small squeeze. “We’re just going to hang out a bit today, alright? Ease you into it.” Clint breathed out at that. “I’m also going to be a little bit physically affectionate and touchy- is that okay with you?” Clint nodded once again.

“I’m actually a bit hungry. I didn’t have any breakfast.” Clint said.

“How about I make us some sandwiches?” Steve led him into the kitchen. “I’ll make some subs and we can watch a movie while we eat.”

Clint raised an eyebrow.

“Eat in the living room? Wouldn’t that be a bit messy?”

Steve shrugged. “Nothing we couldn’t clean up later. Why don’t you go ahead and pick out a movie? Jarvis will bring up some of Tony’s collection.” He gestured Clint towards the lounge, pulling sandwich ingredients out. Clint followed his instruction quietly.

He plopped himself down on the couch, switching on the television.

“Jarvis, what do we have to watch?” He looked up to the ceiling out of habit.

“Sir has over 200 childrens’ films currently.” The tv screen lit up with a long menu of movie titles.

“Kids’ movies? Do we have to?” Clint whined a bit, crossing his arms. He was hoping to watch something more action based, with lots of fighting.

“Captain Rogers forbids age inappropriate movies during ageplay time, Mr. Barton.”

Clint huffed, opting to go ahead and scroll through the titles instead of making an argument out of it. He made it down to two options just as Steve walked in with the food.

“Choose something yet?” The soldier asked, sitting down next to Clint. He handed him his sandwich and leaned back.

“Can’t decide.” Clint shrugged  
“Oh? What are our options?”

“The first Harry Potter and the third one.”

“Harry Potter? Don’t think I’ve ever seen them.”

Clint looked at him with wide eyes, gaping. “You haven’t??”

Steve laughed at his reaction. “I haven’t! Are they good?”

“Are they-?! That’s it. Jarvis, first Harry Potter movie, please.”

The lights dimmed down a bit as the opening credits began. Clint leaned back, only slightly surprised to feel Steve’s arm resting there, ready to wrap around him. He was thankful when Steve didn’t comment on him leaning into the touch just a bit.


End file.
